-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Seinfeld '' had nothing to say -- and that was its genius .

Other groundbreaking series make a point of stressing their inventiveness , practically shouting , `` Look at me ! '' `` Seinfeld , '' on the other hand , blissfully took a Festivus pole to sitcom conventions , with unsympathetic characters , defiantly provincial New York interests and intricate plotting mechanisms -- and never called attention to itself .

Not that there 's anything wrong with that .

In fact , there was so much right about the show that it eventually became TV 's No. 1 program and one of the most lauded sitcoms ever .

In the 25 years since `` Seinfeld '' premiered on July 5 , 1989 , as `` The Seinfeld Chronicles , '' it has worked its way into pop culture -- its catchphrases still repeated , its plots still recounted , its shocking revelations about writer John Cheever and pitcher Roger McDowell still gasped about .

But enough yada yada yada . Here are five things that made nothing into everything :

1 . No hugging , no learning . In general , pre - `` Seinfeld '' sitcoms included heartwarming laughs , sympathetic `` aws '' and lessons learned . But there were no social niceties for Jerry , George , Elaine and Kramer . The quartet was so narcissistic that , when George 's fiancÃ © e , Susan , died after licking defective wedding invitation envelopes in the seventh season , George and the gang shrugged and continued with their lives .

Few sitcoms have dared to follow in its coldhearted footsteps , but there are exceptions , such as `` It 's Always Sunny in Philadelphia , '' `` Community '' and `` Seinfeld '' co-creator Larry David 's `` Curb Your Enthusiasm . '' -LRB- New York magazine 's Matt Zoller Seitz makes the point that `` Seinfeld '' also paved the way for our recent bounty of coldhearted dramas . -RRB-

The new , new TV golden age

2 . Four in one . Pre - `` Seinfeld , '' most sitcoms were classic cases of simplicity : one major plot , perhaps one minor plot , play them out in 22 minutes and turn on the applause sign . `` Seinfeld '' sometimes had four plots -- one for each primary character -- and would put them together so Jerry 's girlfriend with the real breasts -LRB- Teri Hatcher -RRB- would cross paths with Elaine in a steam room . Or aspiring hand model George would burn himself with the iron being used to smooth out Jerry 's puffy shirt .

In those days , not many serialized dramas would dare attempt such plot juggling , never mind comedies . It 's still more the exception than the rule .

3 . New York , New York . `` Seinfeld '' made the Big Apple the center of the sitcom universe . Suddenly it seemed like half of NBC 's schedule was making ends meet in Manhattan -- `` Friends , '' `` Caroline in the City , '' `` Mad About You , '' `` The Single Guy , '' `` Will & Grace '' -- while ABC and CBS added to the mix with such shows as `` The King of Queens , '' `` Spin City '' and `` The Nanny . ''

New York was so prominent on '90s TV schedules that one ABC show , `` It 's Like , You Know '' -LRB- created by `` Seinfeld '' writer and producer Peter Mehlman -RRB- , made hay out of the concept of a New Yorker transplanted to Los Angeles . -LRB- Incidentally , for all its New Yorkiness , `` Seinfeld '' was shot at a studio in L.A. -RRB-

4 . Heavy meta . Other sitcoms had been self-referential -- George Burns and Garry Shandling regularly broke the fourth wall in their programs -- but Jerry and his pals took meta-ness to a whole new level . Season four , in fact , was literally about a show within a show as Jerry and George pitched NBC `` a show about nothing '' called `` Jerry '' that bore eerie similarities to `` Seinfeld . ''

However , for all of `` Seinfeld 's '' quotation marks , it often used real people and brand names . There really is a J. Peterman catalog , New York 's American League baseball team really is the Yankees and those are real cereal brands on Jerry 's shelf . However , Vandelay Industries is still fictional -- we think .

5 . Sponge-worthy catchphrases . Few shows have produced as many popular quotations as `` Seinfeld . '' You 're probably reciting them now : `` No soup for you . '' `` Master of your domain . '' `` Yada yada . '' `` Shrinkage . '' `` Look to the cookie . '' You can leave more of them in the comments ... unless you 're a low-talker . In that case , you 'll have to speak up .

See more comedy content at CNN Comedy .

CNN 's Joan Yeam contributed to this story . CNN 's Todd Leopold is no relation to occasional `` Seinfeld '' writer Tom Leopold , though sometimes he wishes he was .

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`` The Seinfeld Chronicles , '' the `` Seinfeld '' pilot , aired July 5 , 1989

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Sitcom routinely broke with convention

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Show is considered one of best sitcoms in TV history